Market intelligence platform Edited, which reports on retail sustainability trends, cautions that while the fashion industry deals with rising inflation and a looming recession, sustainable initiatives cannot afford to fall by the wayside, especially as climate change accelerates and customers become more sceptical of greenwashing. According to the research, companies should take a “stripped-back approach” and focus on improvement in the areas that have the most impact on the environment, notably material extraction, manufacturing and transportation, consumption, and end-of-life. Edited discovered that 37% of “sustainable” items include some proportion of recycled polyester.
Related post: FashionGeniuses
To compensate for increasing cotton prices, retailers are broadening their assortments with various natural options. Hemp’s use has increased by 15% year on year, while bamboo’s use in material compositions has increased by 5% year on year. To reduce their environmental impact, shops such as Coperni, Stella McCartney, and Ganni have invested in animal-free solutions such as grape, mushroom, and apple leather. Despite these efforts, the market has not fully adopted bio-based leathers; items labelled as vegan are still dominated by synthetics, contributing to plastic waste.
